


Haru Claus and the Rindeer

by Bentclaw



Category: Free!
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-30 03:27:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5148569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bentclaw/pseuds/Bentclaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the holiday-themed merch that just came out. Gou helps organize a party and forces everyone into festive costumes. It's more fun than Rin expects. Enjoy your cheesy and very early Christmas fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Haru Claus and the Rindeer

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poolchan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poolchan/gifts).



> I can't believe this is going to be the first thing I ever write for this fandom. I can't believe this is what I'm titling the first thing I ever write for this fandom. 
> 
> I claim that this is a romance, but my writing comfort zone just barely extends out of gen fic, so don't expect too much out of it.  
> Hopefully it is coherent, everything is spelled correctly, and it is at least a little bit funny.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and if Rin had to box up one more humiliating costume he was going to die and save his friends the trouble of killing him.

“Gou, I’m serious, they’re gonna hate me for this,” he whined. “It won’t matter how many times I tell them it’s your idea.” He finished taping up the last box and set it with the others, wincing at the sound of muffled jingle bells from within.

His sister laughed, a sound distinctly lacking in sympathy. “It’ll be fine, Rin. Everyone will love you. Besides, you liked the idea yesterday!”

“That was before I learned the details.” Rin crossed his arms in what was _not_ a pout. “Where did you even get these?”

Gou grinned. “I have… connections,” she told him.

That was it. His sister was going to rule the world one day. He only hoped that the world knew what was coming for it. He gave an exaggerated shudder and stood up.

“I don’t want to know. I’m going to bed. If the house catches on fire and I start to burn to death, don’t wake me.”

He trudged up the stairs, still grumbling nonsense under his breath, and flung himself down onto his bed. The worst part about Gou’s idea was how much he knew he would have loved it when he was younger. Even now, he could feel the part of himself that still liked things like toy cars and stuffed animals getting excited about it. But he was grown up now, he had his dignity to worry about.

Sometimes it sucked that a tendency to go overboard with things ran in his family.

“Thanks for making it out so early, guys! Rin and I have a fun surprise for everyone!” Gou had climbed up on the wall to better make herself heard over the heads of the assembled group of all the people Rin knew and loved. Rin cringed and groaned and resisted the urge to bury his head in his hands, but Gou continued as if he hadn’t made a sound. “Now, if you could each grab a box, we can go inside and get started!”

They were all gathered outside Iwatobi Swim Club, shivering slightly in the cold. Coach Sasabe had decided to throw a “Christmas Swim Spectacular!” for his classes, and had pulled some strings among his former students to get them to agree to help out.

“What’s in them?” Nagisa asked excitedly, running over to examine the pile of boxes. “Decorations? Presents?”

“You’ll find out!” Gou said. “It’s something that I think will really help put the festive cheer into this event. You’ll notice there’s one for each of you.” She beamed at the group.

Nagisa immediately grabbed one of the boxes and hurried inside with it. Momotarou and Rei followed him after just a moment’s pause, having gotten into a slight argument over the best-looking box. The others didn’t seem so eager. Seijuurou, Nitori, and Sousuke looked suspicious. Makoto, who knew Gou very well, looked horrified. He probably had some idea of where this was going, Rin thought. Haru looked as passive as usual, but he was tellingly reluctant to approach the pile of boxes.

Rin sighed. Might as well get it over with, like ripping off a band-aid. “Come on guys,” he said. “Gou will get mad at us if we don’t hurry up.”

He picked up the closest box to him and trudged inside, at the head of the least enthusiastic parade on Earth.

Gou turned and saw them filing in as soon as Rin opened the door. “Oh good, you’re all here!” She seemed determined to counterbalance Rin’s gloomy attitude by being as cheerful as possible. “You can go ahead and open those now.” She looked around at the group expectantly.

“All right!” Nagisa cheered and tore into his box. Predictably, the brown, fuzzy pile of fabric that fell out into his lap with a loud jingling noise didn’t dampen his enthusiasm in the slightest. “Cool! A reindeer costume!” He tried on the headband immediately, and turned around delightedly for a look at his reflection in the window. “How do I look?”

“Well, it’s… uh…” Makoto was struggling for words.

“It’s _great_ , isn’t it, Makoto?” Gou descended upon him.

“Um… yes! Really great.” Makoto held his hands in front of himself to fend her off, and feigned excitement as he pulled his box open to reveal another reindeer costume.

By now, everyone had gotten the idea. Nitori eyed his box like it was going to spit poison at him, and Sousuke looked like he was on the brink of walking out.

“I think they’re excellent,” Seijuurou said, glaring at Sousuke as if daring him to complain. “The kids will really love them. Good idea, Gou. Let's get them on, everyone.”

There was a general rustling as everyone hurriedly opened their boxes.

“Huh,” Haru said from behind Rin, and Rin knew without even turning around that he’d gotten the special box. _Shit._

“Congratulations Haru!” Gou called from the other side of the room, where she was putting up decorations. “You get to be Santa Claus!”

Haru didn’t look exactly thrilled as he pulled out a red coat and hat, but Rin could tell he was glad that he didn’t have to wear antlers.

Rin took his box and made his way to the locker rooms. The reindeer suit could be pulled on over clothes, but there was still no way he was putting it on while everyone watched. He found an empty corner between the lockers and pulled the costume out.

It was really horrific, a full body suit complete with gloves, hoof-shaped shoe covers, and a tiny adorable tail. The headband had ears and antlers attached, and to complete the humiliating picture, he was expected to tie a bell around his neck with a bright red ribbon. He shucked off his jacket and shoved it in one of the lockers, kicked off his shoes, and prepared to face his fate.

He had expected the suit to be itchy and hot, but Gou must have shelled out some good money for them because it was actually pretty well-made. The fabric was soft, and he caught himself petting the fur on the outside once he’d gotten it onto one arm. It thankfully zipped up the front, so he could get it on himself without asking anyone for help. Once it was on, instead of being uncomfortably hot he found himself only slightly warmer than he had been with his coat on. It was… he refused to think _comfortable._

He scowled and jammed the headband onto his head, then tied the ribbon around his neck. He put as much hatred as he could into the knot, fully conscious of the fact that he would probably need to cut it off later.

When he was finished, he steeled himself to look in the mirror. Seeing it all put together, he had to admit that the costume could have been _so_ much worse. It was ridiculous of course, but at least it fit. It wasn’t baggy or stretched or anything. They would probably look funny on Nagisa and Nitori, who were shorter than him.  

In fact, he comforted himself, he would probably be the best-looking reindeer around. He grinned at his reflection.

“Rin?” Gou called from the locker room door. “Are you in there? You can’t spend the whole event hiding, Santa Claus needs his full team of reindeer out here!”

And just like that, his small bubble of confidence popped. Santa Claus. Haru. _Haru_ was going to see him dressed up like a reindeer, with a freakin’ bell around his neck. It would be easier if Haru had to wear the same costume, but no, he got to be Santa. Some people had all the luck. It would have actually been kind of cool to be Santa.

He briefly debated whether it would be easier to drown himself in the sink or the shower.

Gou was apparently getting impatient. “ _Rin!_ Stop stalling and get out here _now!_ ”

“All right, all right, jeez!” he called back. He took a step toward the door and then stopped again as the bell around his neck jingled merrily.

Oh god. That was _awful_. He stepped forward again slowly, trying hard to keep the bell from ringing.

No use. It jingled whenever he moved, no matter how slight the movement was. He gave up and emerged from the locker room, his face burning with embarrassment.

“Yay! Rin’s here!” Nagisa clapped. “We were worried you’d gotten the zipper stuck or something!”

Rin surveyed the scene before him. Nagisa was bouncing around like a real reindeer, and kept playfully headbutting Nitori and Rei. The others still didn’t look elated, but at least they seemed to have warmed to the costumes. The Mikoshiba brothers were chattering away as they helped Gou decorate, and Sousuke was frowning in concentration as he helped Makoto adjust his headband. Haru was standing off to one side, watching Nagisa’s antics with a small but unmistakable smile on his face.

Rin’s blush flared up again when he looked at Haru, and he looked quickly away, cursing internally. He wasn’t a middle schooler with a crush anymore, he was grown up and he could keep himself together, damn it. At least he could blame it on his embarrassing costume.

He wandered over to Haru, trying his best to look casual. He had no interest in joining the rest of the herd, so to speak. He still wasn’t quite convinced that they wouldn’t be angry with him for enabling Gou’s ideas.

“Sorry about this,” he said. “You know how Gou gets with things.” He went to stick his hands into his pockets, forgetting that the costume didn’t have any, and ended up poking himself repeatedly in the sides in his momentary confusion. _Real cool, Rin._

Haru shrugged, mercifully ignoring Rin’s flailing. “It’s not so bad,” he replied. “It looks like everyone’s having fun.”

“And are you?” Rin asked, suddenly anxious. Haru had just been given what amounted to the main character's role, without being warned first. What if he was upset?

“It’s nice to have everyone together.” Haru looked directly at him for the first time, and damn, a red hat with fuzzy white lining should _not_ make his face look so handsome. It wasn’t fair. His eyes and hair clashed horribly with the costume, but it just made them stand out rather than looking bad.

Rin had always… well, he’d always _tried_ to be a good person. He didn’t deserve this.

“I’m going to go help Gou with the decorations,” he blurted out, because if he didn’t have something to do then he was going to start making an idiot out of himself.

Unfortunately for him, Haru never seemed to realize when someone was trying to make a hasty retreat. Or maybe he did realize, and just didn’t want to let Rin get away with his dignity. He followed Rin over to the makeshift work station Gou had set up.

“Oh good, you decided to make yourself useful for a change,” Gou teased Rin from halfway up the ladder she’d pulled over to hang streamers. He resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her like a child.

“The sooner we get this place open, the sooner the event can start. And the sooner it starts, the sooner it’ll be over,” he said. “Do you have anything for me to do, or are you just going to make fun of me?”

“Calm down _Rindeer,_ ” Gou laughed. “Let’s see… here, you and Haru can hang these up on the wall! The kids made them last week after swimming lessons, isn’t it cute?” She handed them a basket of pinecones that were sloppily decorated with glitter and ribbons.

How were they supposed to hang them? The pinecones were round, and Rin didn’t think that Coach Sasabe would be very happy if he started nailing things to the wall of the swim club.

“Let’s do this,” Haru said suddenly and grabbed the pinecone Rin was holding up. Rin did his best to ignore the feeling of Haru’s hand touching his and focus on what he was doing.

Haru took a ribbon from Gou’s supply table and carefully tied it around the pinecone, then tied the end of it to one of the streamers Gou had already managed to cover the place with. It didn’t look great, but it stayed, and Rin had to admit he didn’t have any better ideas.

They fell into a rhythm quickly. Haru would get the pinecones ready and pass them to Rin, who tied them up. They worked their way along the wall in silence, and Rin found his nervousness easing. It wasn’t hard to be around Haru, even if he still felt stupid every time his bell rang to interrupt the otherwise peaceful work. The others were bustling around them, preparing to open the doors, but it felt like they were in a different room. It was, oddly enough, the same sort of feeling he always got when he swam with Haru. It didn’t even bother him that he could get that feeling from something as undignified as hanging pinecones in a reindeer suit.

Distantly, he realized Gou was shouting something at him. “Hey, Rin! Haru! Catch this!”

Something was flying at them. Rin reached up instinctively to grab it, and Haru did the same thing next to him. They caught it at the same time.

“Don’t just throw things at people, you little…” Rin’s indignant shout trailed off when he realized what he was holding. Mistletoe. He and Haru were holding a giant sprig of mistletoe, directly above their own heads.

“Wow guys, I was just going to tell you to hang it up in the doorway, but if you want to do that…” He could hear the smile in Gou’s voice.

“Gou… you…” Rin spluttered. He’d been set up! He chanced a look at Haru, out of a masochistic desire to see exactly how disgusted he must look.

Haru was just staring up at the mistletoe as if it were something mildly interesting he’d found at the bottom of a pool. He didn’t look angry or nervous. He tugged gently at it, pulling it down and Rin’s hand along with it. Rin’s heart skipped a beat.

“Holy shit Rin, look at your face.” Sousuke sounded embarrassed for him as the others abandoned their tasks to watch the enfolding scene.

“He’s all red, I bet he could lead the sleigh team!” Nagisa laughed, elbowing Rei in the side.

That didn’t help. Rin covered his eyes with his other hand and managed to babble out “Haru, um, you don’t… Gou is just, you know… you don’t have to…”

Haru reached up to Rin’s neck and gave his bell a small tap. Rin’s words caught in his throat at the clear ring.

“It’s okay. Settle down.” Haru’s hand ruffled through his hair next. Rin uncovered his eyes to stare. Was Haru petting him? He might be wearing this costume, but that didn’t mean he needed to be treated like a misbehaving animal.

Or maybe he did. Haru tickled under his chin next, and he could feel his heartbeat slowing. His eyes fell shut and he sighed. He could hear someone snickering, probably Nagisa, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Haru gently pet Rin’s hair some more, scratched behind an ear, and stroked two fingers down his nose. Then just as Rin was feeling entirely too relaxed, Haru kissed him without warning.

It only lasted a second before Haru stepped back. If he couldn’t hear everyone else rioting, Rin would have thought he’d imagined it. He opened his eyes and couldn’t do anything but blink.

Haru reached for him again and wound a hand around the bell ribbon, tugging lightly on it to lead Rin forward. “Come on,” he said in a low voice that only Rin could hear. “You’ve got a sleigh to pull.”

Rin allowed himself to be guided away from the main room, and wondered distantly how long they had before the event started.


End file.
